FE Projects

FlexTech R&D Funding

Since 1993, the FlexTech (formerly U.S. Display Consortium – USDC) has funded over 100 projects in R&D, with a total public/private investment in excess of U.S. $220 million. FlexTech solicits proposals from the flexible electronics industry for candidate projects which will receive funding.

Development Agreement Award Process

Through a competitive bid process supported by the Technical Council and Governing Board, project proposals are selected for available funds. The typical funding is structured as a 50/50 cost share with the industry participant. Please see the technical projects section of our website for more information on the projects that have been funded to date.

R&D projects are supported for the development and commercialization of innovative new equipment & process technology for front-end and back-end manufacturing process steps; new materials and components; and for software, hardware and design analysis for factory automation and CIM operation. The scope and focus of development projects to date can be found below.

The technical program is funded with the assistance of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL). Each year the ARL provides funding to FlexTech Alliance for allocation to the technical projects of interest. The mission of ARL is to enable technologies that will meet future Army combat needs and solve the critical technical barriers that limit the performance, reliability, functionality and affordability of battlefield systems. The partnership funds technology advancements in the display supply chain that will meet the military and consumer needs.

The FlexTech Alliance Technical Council establishes the content and priority for the elements of the technical program. They have maintained an emphasis on creating next generation capability in manufacturing for most major display technology options, while assuring optimized cost-of-ownership. Member companies provide corporate resources to lead and to staff the project teams responsible for:

Request for Proposal topics and target requirements

Proposal selection defining the statement of work in concert with the chosen supplier

Development program oversight

Beta-site evaluation of the developed equipment/materials

Development agreements for awards are selected from the submitted proposals based upon factors such as innovation, level of risk, cost effectiveness, performance history and the ability to provide a substantial cost share.

The award process is typically done in two stages. The first stage is submission of a pre-proposal which is evaluated and selected by the Technical Council. These companies are then offered the opportunity to submit full proposals. This stage requires the submitting company to become a FlexTech Alliance Member if that company is not already a member.

The final proposals are evaluated by the Technical Council and selected to meet the evaluation criteria and also fit within the FlexTech Alliance Technical Program budget for the year. These projects are then recommended to the Governing Board for final approval.